


At the Museum Doors

by ghost_mood



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cole is depressed but he'll improve, Everyone is LGBT in some way, Gen, It's bad, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Wholesome ninja bonding moments, a lot of self discovery, cole needs therapy, morro is a dick, not too depressing? i hope?, possession as a coping mechanism, post DOTD, skybound doesn't exist, so do lloyd and morro, there are actually a ton of jokes now that i notice it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_mood/pseuds/ghost_mood
Summary: After the events of Day of the Departed, one would think Cole would feel happy about his new physical form, right?  Well... Cole doesn't quite know what he'll get when he finds himself at the museum door, but he hopes for answers. The way he gets them might be different than expected.
Relationships: Cole/Morro (Ninjago), Kinda?? - Relationship
Comments: 20
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have any major warnings for this chapter in particular, but throughout the fic, each chapter will have 2 different "sections": 1 with the ninja & 1 at the museum divided with the lines. Lmk if any additional triggers or whatnot should be tagged. :-)  
> I wrote this while on self-quarantine lmao. Enjoy!

Cole had never thought that he would be alive again. His feet firmly on the ground. Viewing the world as an actual part of it. Breathing. Breathing was criminally underrated. He couldn’t believe that he used to take it for granted.

But being real doesn’t mean feeling real. That was why he found himself at the museum door.

* * *

_Hours Earlier..._

_Kai rushed down the steps, dragging Cole along with him. Kai stopped in the doorway, showing off his achievement. “Look who I found!”_

_“Hey, you finally woke up sleepy-head,” Jay chuckled. Nya and Lloyd stood behind him, Nya held the rain above Jay’s head like a giant water balloon. Lloyd suppressed a laugh and motions for Zane, Kai, and Cole not to spoil the surprise. When Lloyd gives the signal, Nya drops her hands._

_“HEY!” Jay’s head and gi are entirely soaked. The ninja chuckle and Kai joins in on the fun. Cole remained in the doorway._

* * *

A chill gust nipped at Cole’s neck as his hands approached the door handle. Though the rain had subsided, the wind seemed to have a mind of its own. It whipped the golden leaves in spirals across the clouded sky. Nothing else could be seen. As the wind grew from a whistle to a roar, Cole’s mind turned to the last time it did that. How it led up to the first night at the temple. What happened to him. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He hoped the wind would be on his side tonight.

* * *

_“Wanna join us, Cole?” Lloyd asked, mid-laugh. Cole could hear puberty’s mark on Lloyd’s voice as it cracked. Cole felt a sense of pride and second-hand embarrassment for him. Lloyd’s cheeks went red. “What I meant to say was do you want to train with us?”_

_“I would hardly call this training anymore,” Zane said, gesturing to Jay chasing Nya, both laughing. “Are you ok, Cole? It is not like you to wake up late.”_

_Leave it to Zane to call him out. “I just had a long night last night.” Cole replied. It wasn’t a complete lie. He didn’t want to admit that he had been awake ever since the lights went out that night. “Besides. It’s… you know…” Jay and Nya stopped their chase._

_“The rain can’t hurt you anymore, Cole” Nya said, as if to reassure him of his physical state._

_“Easy for you to say.” Jay sulked._

_“C’mon! Join us!” Kai said. “Join us. Join us.” The rest of the ninja, even Zane, joined in on Kai’s chant, their voices blending into one. Cole thought back to one of his conversations with Sensei Yang. Yang wanted him to live. That’s why he let Cole through. The only thing stopping Cole now is himself. His friends’ voices whirred around him. He began to reach through the doorway._

* * *

Cole turned the key with a satisfying click. He hoped that no one would notice its absence from Wu’s office. The heaviness of the solid oak door didn’t phase Cole as much as it would have others, but he didn’t exactly feel strong at that moment. At least, not mentally.

The wideness of the halls emphasized how insignificant Cole felt. There were no sounds other than his steps on the tiled floor. After a week, one would think he would be used to the sound of his own feet. The night guard was out cold, thankfully. No one needed a repeat of the “incident”. There was a sense of eeriness in the museum. The lighting that illuminated the displays in the daytime felt cold and haunting at night. It reminded Cole that he was there on personal business; not for fun. Turning the corner, he could see his destination: the Hall of Villainy.

* * *

_His hand waited expectantly for the rain to come. Cole called upon past memories of water to reassure him: Summer nights on the beach with his friends, that one squirt gun battle with Jay, spending time at the waterpark with his parents… Well, before… The memories wouldn't stick. They kept being pushed out of the way by instinct. An instinct Cole developed after the fateful night at the temple. Don’t touch the water. You can’t touch the water! STOP! Cole’s arm was shaking. He kept trying to push it out just a little further. Just a little…_

_“Cole?” Jay asked. Cole opened his eyes. He hadn’t even realized he had been closing them. The ninjas’ chants had subsided. Their excited expressions were replaced with somber ones. They were worried. For Cole. It took a second for Cole to realize that he wasn’t even close to being able to touch the water. It took another to see his friends’ expressions for what they were: concern. No, that was his job. He wasn’t allowed to have others worried for him. He was the strong one. He could handle anything. Why couldn’t he handle rain?_

_“I’m going inside…” Cole said, quietly. He needed to speak to Yang again._

* * *

Cole pushed a bench aside and sat down in the center of the room. His former foes surrounded him. The statues were posed in their iconic fighting stances, yet they wouldn’t attack anytime soon. Cole admired the sculptors’ skill. The villainous figures’ resemblance to the real thing was uncanny. Cole could somehow see the hatred and power behind their eyes that he remembered from past battles. It was extremely realistic. Too realistic. Of course he understood the statues’ purpose: to showcase the villains’ wickedness and impact on Ninjago, and to prove how brave and successful the ninja were at defending Ninjago.

Cole himself knew that he and the ninja weren’t always so brave. They were terrified of all of them, to some extent. Pythor, Kozu and his warriors, Chen, and… Morro… The thing was, though, they powered through that fear and defeated all of them. Why couldn’t Cole defeat this? This feeling of not being quite real yet. Cole glanced toward a small display to the side. A portrait and plaque depicting Sensei Yang: Cole’s former nemesis turned mentor. Cole remembered Yang’s words and knew that he had to carry on with this task.

* * *

_“Yang? Yang?” Cole called out for his sensei friend at the top room of the temple. This was the room that Cole had called his own these past few weeks. He and Yang would talk for hours on end. So much so that Cole would forget to fall asleep. Or rather, forget he needed sleep._

_“Finally ready to take a nap, Cole.” Yang said, chuckling. He didn’t need to address Cole directly. He was the only one who could hear Yang anyway. “You look like you need it.”_

_“Not right now. I need to ask you something.”_

_“Go ahead.”_

_“What made you change your mind?” Cole asked. He was searching for an answer that would make everything make sense. An answer that would fix everything. “What made you let me live?”_

_Cole could hear Yang sigh. Not in a frustrated way, but as if he was recalling something he forgot long ago. “I thought you had finally given up. You were all alone. I would have been free from this place, like I had wanted since forever, if I had just gone through that portal._

_“That’s when I heard your friends. They were calling out for you from their ship, searching for you. It must have been some sort of miracle. I had never seen someone come search for someone in my temple. That’s when it hit me. The families of my students were long gone so they couldn’t search for them. But my students were young and still had a chance to make a life for themselves. They deserved to go free. Here, you had friends that broke through the spell. They remembered you. That’s when I knew it wasn’t right. I still mourn that I have no family to remember and seek me out, but it wasn’t fair to take it out on you. I resolved that I could stay here, protect the temple that became your home. If your friends could break through the fog, they were worth it, and you were worth it to keep alive.”_

_“Wait…” Cole was confused. “What do you mean ‘the fog’”_

_“When someone’s ghost in this realm begins to fade, like you, a fog envelops the minds of those who knew them in life. They forget, to put it simply. That’s why the souls choose to go to the Departed Realm, or, or in some cases, the Cursed Realm. Your friends should not have been able to remember.”_

_“Has there been any cases of someone breaking the fog before?”_

_“Hmmm. Actually, once I believe. They were reminded by a ghost. Someone who had known the faded soul after death. A loophole, if you will. It’s very rare that this could happen. Do you suppose that it could have occurred with your friends?”_

_Cole thought for a second. The only spirits who were brought back on that fateful Day of the Departed were the villains he and his friends had fought before. They all had been alive when he fought them, so they should have forgotten, too. All of them, except… Cole gasped, “No... No. No. It can’t be...”_

_“What is it?” Yang asked, concerned._

_“I have to go. Thank you, Yang.” Cole rushed down the stairs. He knew just who and what he had to ask._

* * *

Cole had wasted more than enough time. He needed to get things over and done with. Cole took off the backpack he had been wearing and unzipped it. He had all that he needed: sixteen black candles, a pot of Spirituali-tea, the kite scraps he had found buried underneath boxes and boxes in the basement, and a book Cole had found on the bookshelf in Wu’s study. Honestly, he was glad that Wu was on a business trip. Cole couldn’t bear to imagine how Wu would react if he caught him stealing from his collection of miscellaneous stuff. Stealing wasn’t exactly what Cole was known for. He glanced at the cover: _“Necromancy for the Wickedly Inclined”_. It was covered in dust. Cole figured Wu must have collected this book to keep it out of the hands of evildoers, like Clouse and other sorcerers. Or, apparently, anyone seeking answers. Wu had a nasty habit of not telling important information. Cole sighed and opened the book to the page he had marked.

_SUMMONING SPIRITS_

_(WARNING: This spell can summon dangerous spirits. Attempt at your own risk!)_

_Once you’ve gathered the ingredients (listed below),_

Check.

_return to the last known location of the spirit in question._

Check.

_Put an item belonging to the spirit into the pot of Spirituali-tea and stir 16 times counter-clockwise._

Cole knew he would hate every second of this as soon as he found the book. However, doing the deed was an entirely different thing. Sure, he got used to his elemental powers. Those had an explanation; a purpose. Magic, however, did not. Where does it even come from? How does one figure out how these spells work? Is there some kind of price to pay for using them? Cole sure hoped there wasn’t. He put the scraps into the tea and began stirring. At sixteen stirs, the scraps had dissolved.

Check.

_Then, light the candles and place them in a circle around yourself and the tea._

Cole grabbed the match from his pocket and struck it against the base of the statue. A part of him wished it wouldn’t light, so he could just go home and forget about this whole endeavor. Unfortunately, the match lit. Cole spread out the candles around him and spread the flame to each one of them. Seeing the villainous statues during daylight was creepy, but this was on a whole new level.

And Check.

_Now, read the chant below and your desired spirit will appear._

“Desired” was one way to put it. One of the last things Cole wanted was to see this guy again. However, he felt like he needed to. “Alright, here goes nothing…” 

* * *

_“Alright, here goes nothing!” Cole could hear Jay say from the top of the stairs. They had just unlocked a new character in the racing game they were playing and Jay was giving it a test run._

_“Be prepared to eat my dust.” Lloyd replied. It seemed like they were going neck and neck._

_“Please. The only thing I’ll be eating is the first piece of Zane’s pie.” Jay replied._

_“I promised nothing.” Zane said, his hands in the air. All of the ninja laughed. On a normal day, Cole would have gone in to join them. Normal days weren’t going to come anytime soon._

_“Hey!” Cole said, walking in on the start of the game. Jay quickly pressed pause on his controller; his hair was still damp and had begun to curl._

_“Cole! You wanna join? I’ll play you after this round!” Kai said. He chose not to bring up what happened earlier that day._

_Cole shook his head. “I want to know why you didn’t tell me the truth.”_

_“The truth?” Nya asked._

_“About what?” Zane replied._

_Cole couldn’t believe them. They had to know what he was talking about, right? Deep breaths, he reminded himself. “About the Day of the Departed. Why didn’t you tell me the whole story? The reason you finally remembered to come get me?”_

_Cole could see Lloyd’s eyes fill with worry, which only solidified his theory. Lloyd set his controller down and looked at Kai. Kai nodded and Lloyd headed toward his room. Zane shut the door behind him. “We didn’t want to worry you,” Zane said._

_“Yeah. Being forgotten is kind of a scary thing,” Jay continued. “I wouldn’t want to be reminded of a time my friends forgot I even existed._

_“And the person who let us know about you… well…” Nya said, trailing off. Not even she could figure out exactly how to word this._

_“I know who told you guys about me,” Cole said. He had to cut to the chase. “It was Morro. He was the only person who could have.”_

_“How would you know that?” Zane asked._

_The ninja didn’t know that Yang was still in the temple. “I…” Shoot. Cole had to think of something. The rest of the ninja looked at him with wide eyes. “Did some… research.”_

_“Look, Cole,” Kai started. He flashed a fierce look toward Cole that showed he was getting heated. “We didn’t understand what was going on either. Morro is a terrible person. He destroyed cities, killed people, and he fucking possessed Lloyd! You can imagine why we wouldn’t want to tell you about what he did, especially around Lloyd. Who knows what Morro’s reason was, but knowing him, it wasn’t good.”_

_Cole couldn’t believe what his friends were saying. Was he not supposed to be back in his own skin? His friends had seemed happy before, but were they masking worry this whole time? Did Morro have some malicious reason behind bringing him back? His hand clenched into a fist; he breathed in and out. There had to be a way to figure it out._

_“Cole, Cole, relax,” Zane said. He was walking closer to him with his arms out. “Dinner is almost ready, and then maybe we all should go to bed.”_

_Cole saw how Zane approached him. He looked worried. Did he not trust him? He decided now was not the best time to ask. “Okay. Sounds good.” After one of the most awkward dinners in a long time, the ninja decided to head to their rooms. Maybe they had thought some sleep would do the trick. After all, Cole was severely in need of it. Cole didn’t feel that way. The only thing he felt he needed was an answer, plain and simple. He rushed toward Wu’s study: looking for something, anything, that could help him figure out what was happening. That’s when, at the bottom of the bookshelf, he saw the book that would give him the answer. It wasn’t the method he wanted, but it would have to work._

* * *

It would have to work. The chant was in an ancient script, probably from around the time of the First Spinjitzu Master, maybe even older. Cole hated the thought of it being older than the realm itself. Luckily, the history class at his old school had a unit on ancient languages, so he knew the general pronunciations of the words. This was one of the times Cole was grateful for his dad forcing him to attend Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts.

But after dropping out and not being in school for a while, Cole wasn’t entirely confident in his ability to read it correctly. That didn’t stop him, though. He began to read the chant. It was uncomfortably long and the words seemed to sting his tongue. Cole really hated magic.

After a few verses, the flames of the candles began to change colors. They faded from the warm orange, to violet, to an unholy obsidian light. The tea flew out of the pot on its own and began encircling the candles. The liquid picked up speed and height as it continued its ritualistic dance around the flames. After more lines were read, a void appeared to open above Cole and the candles. Winds began whirring and roaring from that void. Cole wished the wind had stayed outside. To Cole the sound was nearly deafening and it seemed to echo like nothing else, however, no one could hear it outside of the circle of candles. Out from the void flashed a green light. Cole felt a pang of heat, then a chill down his spine. This was it. The wind kept growing louder, then suddenly stopped. The teapot was completely empty: all of the tea had been sucked up by the void. The void itself began fading away, leaving only the green light above Cole’s head. One by one, the candles began to extinguish. With each candle, the green light began taking shape, revealing itself as the ghost Cole had been looking for. After each candle had gone out, the ghost descended to get a better look at who exactly summoned him. Relying on his self-produced light, he couldn’t exactly get a clear picture.

The ghost spoke, “Who are you? Why have you brought me here?”

“It’s Cole. And, Morro, you should know why.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole continues to talk to Morro and they work out a deal; afterwords Cole begins to repair his relationships with his friends. Some possession in this chapter. I hope you all are having a great day. :-)

Cole stared at Morro, waiting expectantly for an answer. Morro squinted in response. Cole needed to understand what this meant. Was it an act of aggression? A challenge? Did this mean Morro had him right where he wanted him? The ghost extended his transparent arm, which caused Cole to immediately jump on the defensive. He was ready to fight.   
Morro pointed toward the wall behind Cole. What did he want? Morro flicked his finger, causing the Hall of Villainy to light up. It was now clear. He wanted the lights on. The wall had a lightswitch. Of course. Cole shielded his eyes, realizing how accustomed they had become to the darkness.   
“Would it have killed you to turn on the lights?” Morro asked.  
Cole moved his hands to clearly see Morro. The ghost looked tired and a bit pissed. “I mean… no…” Cole replied.  
“Ok. Great.” Morro replied, annoyed. “Wait a second,” he looked him up and down, “aren’t you the earth ninja?”  
“As a matter of fact, I am.” Cole said, retaining composure. He was the strong one. That should be how Morro remembered him.  
“Ah. Now, why didn’t I recognize you?” Morro paced around Cole, beginning to smirk. “Well, you’re in sweatpants, but that can’t be it. Did you get a haircut? Grow a few inches? No?”  
“You know why.”  
“That’s right.” Morro stopped, leaning in closer to Cole. “You’re alive! Wow. That’s great.” Morro began to mockingly clap, still grinning.  
Cole resisted the urge to step away. “I’m not afraid of you.”  
“Ok. And?” Morro stopped. “Is that all you have to say? Wow. I’d thought if you went through all that effort to summon me here, you would say a little more than that. Or, at least put on something nice.”  
“Says the guy who’s not even wearing pants.”  
Morro glances down at himself, as if he had forgotten what he was wearing. “Point taken.”  
“Anyways.” Cole didn’t want to spend more time than he had to. “I do have something to say.”

* * *

_The Next Morning…_   
_“I have to tell you all something,” Cole said, quieting the room. The ninja were gathered in the living room, preparing to finish the racing tournament from the previous night. Cole had just come from upstairs; he was glad that he had gotten home before everyone else had woken up._   
_“Man, you must really not want us to play.” Jay joked. He paused the game as Zane motioned for him to let Cole speak._   
_“I’m really sorry for snapping at you guys the other night. I was just confused and shocked, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I slept on it last night and got it out of my system. We… I... don’t have to bring up,” Cole saw Lloyd out of the corner of his eye, “you-know-who again.”_   
_“I’m sorry, too.” Kai responded, after being elbowed by Nya. “I didn’t even realize how what I said could mean that I wasn’t glad that you were back. I am. Besides, he's long gone. If he wanted anything to do with you coming back, he should have done it when he had the chance.”_   
_Cole nodded. Kai’s speech seemed rehearsed (it was likely written by Nya), but Cole could tell that he sincerely cared about him. They came together in a hug, marking their forgiveness._   
_However, the sincerity stopped there, as Kai didn’t 100% trust that Morro was gone for good, as he wasn’t defeated traditionally like the rest of the villains._   
_That made two liars. Cole didn’t sleep at all that night, and his business with Morro definitely wasn’t finished._

* * *

“Are you finished with your rambling? I can’t wait to finally hear your question,” Morro replied. Cole was sick of his snark. He just wanted his answer. He just wanted to be done.  
“Why did you save me?” Cole asked. He needed an honest, serious answer.  
Morro stopped smiling. “What do you mean?”  
“You know what I mean!” Could he stop playing dumb when it was obvious he was hiding something? “Back on Day of the Departed, you told Wu and the others that they had forgotten about me. Why? What did you have to gain?””  
Morro lowered his brows for the first time Cole had ever seen. Morro had always had one eyebrow raised: whether he was plotting, gloating, or just being an asshole in general. “I don’t know why. I just felt like it.”  
Cole looked at the ghost, shocked. Was the reason he was alive today all on a villain’s whim? There had to be a bigger reason. A reason he still didn’t feel real. The fact that Morro seemed so apathetic didn’t make Cole feel better either. Morro’s response was lacking it’s signature snark.  
“What were you expecting me to say?” Morro said, picking up on Cole’s silence. “Oh! I saved you out of the goodness of my heart!” There was the snark.  
“I mean…” Cole said. He didn’t really know what he was expecting, but it was definitely not this.  
“Because, just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a good person. I don’t do things because they’re the right thing to do. I do things because I feel like doing them. That’s it.”  
“But why did you feel like doing it? You had to have some reason”  
“I don’t. I don’t know why.”   
“You have to. You didn’t possess Lloyd for no reason. You didn’t raise the freaking Preeminent for no reason. You couldn’t have saved me for no reason. There has to be a reason! I need a reason!” Cole realized just how much he told Morro, and stepped away. Where were these bursts of temper coming from? It’s not like he was… Kai or anything.

* * *

_“Kai? Cole?” Lloyd asked. “I’d hate to break up your moment, but…”_   
_Kai and Cole broke apart their hug. Kai looked back at Lloyd, thinking about what important thing he was about to say. “Huh? Oh yeah!” Kai finally remembered. “We were thinking that, since it’s such a nice day today…” He let Lloyd finish the sentence, because he was clearly getting excited._   
_“We should go to Mega Monster Amusement Park!” Lloyd said. All the ninja seemed ecstatic. It truly was a nice day. Cole could see the sun through the windows. Birds were singing and the weather was warm, but not scorching, with a pleasant breeze. It really blew yesterday’s rainstorm out of the water._   
_“Please come with us!” Jay said. “We even convinced Zane to come!”_   
_“They hardly needed to convince me.” Zane said, in defense. “A perfect day like this rarely comes around.”_   
_This was true. For years, nice days had always been eclipsed by whatever villain was plaguing Ninjago. A truly free day was practically foreign to the ninja._   
_“Of course I’ll come with!” Cole said. He may still avoid water rides like the plague, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have a good time. There were a couple issues that he could think of, but there was only one that he voiced: “But what about the lines?”_   
_Zane responded almost instantly, smiling, “I’m sure they give Fast Passes for the recently deceased.”_   
_Cole and the rest of the ninja laughed at Zane’s joke, though it may or may not have been intentional. This trip would be a step to getting better. He may not feel real yet, but at least his friends weren’t afraid of him being a pawn in some evil scheme. Right?_   
_“Alright, guys,” Lloyd said, acting as the leader once again, “let’s get ready to go.” He kept the game on pause. It could wait._   
_The ninja all cheered and rushed up to their rooms to get ready. Before Cole went back to his former bunk to collect things for the day, he dropped off the suspicious items in his bag back to their original locations. He had neglected to do that when he got home from his night at the museum. After he was done with that, he went to the bunks._   
_“Have you seen my phone?” Jay asked. He was frantic, even though this happened at least twice a day._   
_“I have.” Kai said, with a sneaky smile._   
_“Where did you see it?”_   
_“I think a better question is where didn’t I see it.” Kai said, listing off everywhere Jay had misplaced his phone. Some highlights included the bottom of the pool, the roof of the monastery, and his pile of dirty clothes. Nya snuck up behind Kai and grabbed the phone from his back pocket. “Hey!”_   
_“Honestly, you could have hidden it better.” Nya replied. She acted as if she were handing it back to Jay, but instead she tossed it to Lloyd._   
_“Give it back!” Jay said. The phone made its rounds throughout the room before finally getting tossed to Zane, who reluctantly handed it back to Jay._   
_“Thank you, Zane.” Jay said, feigning hurt. “At least someone appreciates me around here.”_   
_The ninja all laugh. Cole is glad he can laugh with them in this space, even if he couldn’t feel better quite yet. Sitting on his bed, observing everything, felt really good. Even if he wasn’t ready to sleep on that bed quite yet, it still felt like everything could be okay._

* * *

“Ok.” Morro replied.  
“Ok? That’s all you have to say? Ok?” Cole said. “I can’t believe you.”  
“I do have a reason for possessing Lloyd. That’s pretty self-explanatory.”   
“I know that. But what about saving me?”  
Morro looks Cole up and down again. “It’s a lot… trickier to pinpoint. Being a ghost objectively sucks, and… I don’t know… We… well…”  
“Spit it out.”  
“We seem to have a lot in common.”  
This piece of shit. Cole was certain he had nothing in common with Morro and he would bet his new life on it. Well, maybe not, but still. “Yeah right. That’s what all villains say.” He wasn’t buying it. “‘You’re just like me’. Bullshit.”  
“Alright. You caught me,” Morro replied, mockingly. “By saving your soul from fading away, I locked you in an unbreakable contract, and now I will control you for the rest of your days on earth. Mwahaha!” He was having way too much fun with this. “I’ve heard it all before. You forget I was a ninja too.”  
“A ninja-in-training,” Cole corrected. Morro decided not to respond. Way to hit him where it hurt. “I think we’re done here.” Cole began to reach for the spell book.  
“Wait, wait, wait…” Morro looked concerned. “You didn’t even get your precious answers.”  
“Yeah. Thanks to you.”  
“No. You don’t understand. The Departed Realm is terrible to me since I practically destroyed the Preeminent. No matter how much ‘good’ I do, they still think I’m up to something.”  
“Them and everyone else.”  
“But if they found out I escaped, they’ll punish me again when I get back.”  
“Again, why is that an issue?”  
Morro laughed. He had played the sympathy card. Time for plan B. “Don’t you see? You helped me escape. No one cares about motives. Even if it is ‘finding yourself’. You still intentionally freed an evil ghost known for ‘destruction’. You’ve got the exact same fate. But, go on, send me back. I’ll be damn sure to tell the powers that be exactly what we had ‘planned’, what you had planned. It won’t be hard. If I go down I’m taking you with me.”  
Cole dropped the book. “You won’t be able to do that.”  
“Oh, I will.” Morro said. “I can be pretty convincing.”  
Cole couldn’t believe this. All he wanted was some answers, and now he could be sentenced to an eternity of punishment for something he didn’t even do or attempt. His hand curled into a fist, not caring about composure anymore. He realized his “bursts” of anger were much more common than he had originally thought as of late. He rushed toward the ghost, nearing tears; anger welling up. Anger. Why is that the only thing he could feel lately? Nothing but anger that burns and stings like rubbing alcohol, and the melancholy nothingness of after.   
Cole was mere inches away from Morro when he realized the ghost wasn’t planning on moving. Morro’s stare was nearly blank, no malice to be seen, but filled with confusion and slight curiosity. Duh. You can’t hit a ghost. Cole braced for the impact of the wall behind Morro, seeing as though he was about to fall through him. However, that’s not exactly how it went.

* * *

_“Ok, so maybe that’s not exactly how it went, but come on!” Jay chuckled as he recalled the first time he entered a machine of his into the science fair. Maybe Cyrus Borg himself wasn’t there commending him, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t receive high honors._   
_“Don’t worry, we’d be proud of you either way.” Lloyd responded._   
_Cole and the rest of the ninja had been at the Mega Monster Amusement Park all day and going on into the evening. It was nine at night now; the park would close in an hour. The sun had set, and all light was gone aside from the lights on the rides and stands. Cole hearing his friends’ laughs was light enough for now. He may not feel the happiest he ever felt ever, but it could be a start to feeling some authentic, natural joy again. It was like smelling chocolate cake baking from far away, as silly as it sounds: you may not be anywhere near it yet but when you’re there and it’s done baking it will be absolutely delicious._   
_“I wish we could do this everyday.” Zane said, cheerfully._   
_“Ugh. No thanks!” Nya replied, clearly tired._   
_“Yeah. You can cool yourself down,” Kai said, smiling. It was a fun, yet exhausting day._   
_“Bro.” Jay said to Nya. “Could you..?” He pointed to his mouth. Nya sent a stream, then a flood of water from the drinking fountain. After falling backwards, he responded with two thumbs up._   
_“Get it yourself next time.” Nya joked. Everyone chuckled along with them. If there was anyone Cole thought would have an awkward relationship, it would be Jay and Nya. After going through a break-up that Cole may or may not have accidentally gotten in the middle of, it seemed likely that they would be weird with each other forever. But, they survived and now their friendship is stronger than ever. It was kind of poetic in a way. Plus, it helped that everyone started to figure things out at the same time. It provided a sense of hope that, maybe, he could get through this. Maybe things would get better. Maybe…_   
_Then, that feeling was gone. Of course. It had to go away as quickly as it came. It was great while it lasted, Cole rationalized._   
_Kai glanced at Cole, noticing the change in expression. “Maybe we should start heading home.” He said. “I’m beat.”_   
_“Me too,” Lloyd responded._   
_“Ditto,” Said Jay._   
_“Yeah,” Nya said. “We better get some sleep if we have any plans for training tomorrow.”_   
_“Cole, will you be joining us in our room tonight?” Zane asked._   
_Sleep. It sounded incredible right now. Cole couldn’t even remember the last time he really just slept, uninterrupted by the uncomfortable thoughts and overwhelming feelings that come with being alive. It would feel nice, and he was certainly tired enough to do it. But then he remembered the… promise he had made last night. He was supposed to be there, at the museum door, soon. Or else… He didn’t know what would happen. But one night of well needed sleep couldn’t do any harm right?_   
_“Sure,” Cole responded, cracking a smile. “I could really use a good night's sleep.”_   
_The ninja all cheered. Cole knew he needed to sleep, regardless how he wanted to get back to the museum._   
_Or needed to get back._

* * *

He needed to get back. Cole knew he did. Nothing good ever came out of possession.   
Instead of sliding through Morro and into the wall, like Cole had anticipated, Morro had phased through him. Or, rather, into him. The first thing on Cole’s mind was a sense of panic. This was possession after all. This is what nearly killed Lloyd.   
The entire world seemed to slow around him. While nothing much can really happen in a museum at night, it seemed like even less was occurring. Cole felt himself slowly lose control of his limbs. His senses. It was a lot less violent than he was envisioning. Maybe it was because he didn’t feel the strength to fight it? Maybe Morro was trying a different approach from what he had done to Lloyd? Whatever it was, it didn’t feel terrible. It should feel terrible.   
Then, the most feared part: the complete takeover. Cole felt his… essence… being nudged to the back of his mind. He felt insignificant, but not in a bad way. He felt all expectations he had fade away. He was enveloped in a cool numbing cloud. Nothing mattered, and he was okay with it.   
He shouldn’t be okay with it. This was supposed to be terrible. Why wasn’t he fighting? Why didn’t he want to fight? That was when Morro let go, and everything reverted back to how it was.  
Cole gasped for air, realizing he was in control again. He was on a strange high that he had never expected to feel before. That shouldn’t have felt so good.  
“So,” Morro responded, looking quite confused, yet curious. “That happened.”   
“Yeah.” Cole replied, a strangely pleasant buzzing still going in his head, but beginning to die down. "Why did you do that?" He trailed off.  
“I just wanted to see... You didn’t resist… like… at all,” Morro said, changing the subject. “Everyone tries to fight…”  
“Well, I guess I didn't.” Cole chuckled. The buzz had died completely. Cole realized the awkwardness of the situation. Why didn't he fight? Maybe he was more fucked up than he thought.  
Morro looked Cole dead in the eyes with an unreadable expression. “What's wrong with you?”  
Another answer Cole wanted but didn't have. Everything was silent for a minute while Cole formulated a plan. “I’ll tell you what:” Cole started, “I won’t send you back to the Departed Realm, because I do not want to go through any spell shit again. NOT because you don’t deserve punishment. You can stay here in the museum and I’ll come see you every night for answers. Because I know we both have shit to work out”  
“Every night?”   
“Every night.”  
“What’s in it for me?” Morro looked skeptical.  
“I just said it.” Cole sighed. “I won’t send you back.”  
“Hmmm. Not enough.” Morro picked up _Necromancy for the Wickedly Inclined_. “Bring me something to keep me entertained everyday. Museums can be boring sometimes.” He smiled knowingly.  
“If you start something, I swear...”  
“I promise.” Morro held out his hand.  
Cole reached over and shook it, happy it didn’t phase through. “It’s a deal then.”  
Cole began packing up his things, except for the book, which he reluctantly left for Morro. He put on his backpack and began to leave. “You know I’ll hold you to that promise right?”  
Morro nods as Cole walks toward the door. As he flicked off the lights, he left Cole with some final words for the night. “Don’t worry, Cole. I will too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cole forgot to return to the museum one night, news of a sword's disappearance brings him back in uniform to set the record straight. It goes better than one would think.

Cole found himself muttering to himself over and over again. What had he done? What had he _done_ ? It was bad enough that he raised one of Ninjago’s biggest threats from the dead, but to top it all off he made a deal with him, and proceeded to _break_ it in only slightly more than 24 hours.

It wouldn’t be that hard. He would set things straight and get this entire ghost business back to normal. He put on his gi and put the nearest book in his bag. It was time to make the journey back to the museum

* * *

_That Morning_

_It was the first time Cole had gotten a good night sleep since FSM-knows-when. Ghosts didn’t need to sleep, but his body sure did. He rubbed the crusties brought on by dust allergies out of his eyes. Cole had forgotten about that part of his morning routine._

_He rolled over to face away from the wall of his bunk. It seemed like the rest of the ninja had already gotten up and ready. Maybe someday Cole could reclaim his early riser status._

_Cole stepped into the kitchen, still groggy. “‘Morning, sleepy head!” Kai said, playfully poking at him. Cole didn’t want to admit it, since Kai was just being nice, but being touched still rubbed him the wrong way. “Seems like you finally got up.”_

_“Easy for you to say,” Jay started. “You weren’t up that much earlier, Mr. I-Need-My-Beauty-Sleep.”_

_“Would you like some aloe for that burn?” Zane asked the fire ninja, smiling. Zane was currently rubbing aloe on Jay’s back, the only place he forgot to add his SPF 90 sunscreen._

_The ninja all laugh. With prompting from Kai, Cole grabbed himself a bowl of cereal and put a spoonful of it into his mouth (albeit reluctantly). The sensation felt way too weird in his mouth and the flavor was just… off. He had to check the label on the box to make sure it wasn’t stale. Nope. It was just fine. Figures._

_Then, the kitchen landline rang. Lloyd picked it up. “This is the Green Ninja speaking. How may we help you?” His responsible tone didn’t match the Fritz Donnegan PJs he wore; nonetheless, he kept it up throughout the call. “Uh huh… yes… yes… OH....” his polite smile quickly turned into a frown; his eyes widening. “ Ok, well... let me talk to my team, and we’ll be sure to help you as soon as we can. Good-bye!” He hung up, but his agitation remained._

_“You ok, buddy?” Kai asked, noticing the change in expression._

_“Yeah, what was that?” Nya asked._

_“It was a security guard at the museum.” Lloyd said. “He said the sword from… uh…_ **_his_ ** _exhibit disappeared.” Cole’s mind immediately started racing. He had completely forgotten. Of course, Morro would steal from the museum again. He didn’t exactly have the best track record with museums, and Cole left him with a_ **_necromancy_ ** _book of all things. This was a recipe for disaster. What was Cole thinking?_

_Lloyd continued, “Luckily it wasn’t the real Sword of Sanctuary… but they want some of us to come over at some point to investigate, just in case there’s some ‘suspicious activity’ going on.”_

_“Oh Lloyd,” Nya said, wrapping her little-brother-figure into her arms._

_“I’m just hoping… it isn’t what I think it is y’know?” Lloyd gave a nervous laugh. “It’s just all way too familiar…”_

_Kai joined in on the hug. “You can sit out this one. We’ll be able to finish this ourselves.”_

_“If it makes you feel better, I’m sure whoever took the sword is nothing more than a petty thief,” Zane stated. “Most of our serious foes would be able to distinguish between the real Sword of Sanctuary and a fake one.”_

_That made some sense to Cole, yet he knew that the situation was exactly what Lloyd feared. What would Morro want with a fake sword? If anyone was to find out, it should be him. “You know what?” Cole said. “I think I’ll check this one out by myself.”_

_“Really?” Zane responded._

_“Yeah, I mean, it’s about time I get back into the swing of things. Being a ninja and back to normal and all.” Cole hoped they way he said that sounded believable; being normal still felt entirely out of reach at the moment. “I’ll head out tonight. Since it’s probably just a thief of some kind, it should be a piece of cake.”_

_“Maybe you can convince the museum to get better security cameras, too,” Jay said._

_“Yeah, good idea.” Cole responded, although not planning on doing that at all._

* * *

“Wasn’t planning on seeing you at all tonight.”

Morro’s voice rang in Cole’s ear. He couldn’t pinpoint where the sound was coming from, but that was probably the ghost’s intention. Cole rolled his eyes. “Where are you, Morro?”

“Up here, earth ninja,” Morro replied. Cole looked up from where he stood in the Hall of Villainy. Morro was lying on the ceiling beam playing with the faux-sword as if it was a rubber ball: tossing it up and down in the air; not having a care in the world. He floated down to the ground so he could address Cole face-to-face. “I see you’re in your gi today. What’s the occasion?”

Cole replied, “I think you know the occasion.” He gestured to the sword.

“And I think you know why I did it,” Morro said. “We made a promise. We shook on it. And **you** broke it first. You should know that I take my promises very seriously, but come to think of it that might not be the best decision considering my track record…”

“Okay, but who’s to say you wouldn’t have broken the deal anyway? Even if I did come back to see you yesterday?” 

“What would I gain from it?”

“What did you gain from bringing me back from the dead?”

“Ugh. This again.”

“Yes, this again. Because you keep dancing around the fucking subject!”

Morro sighed. He looked tired, and ghosts weren’t supposed to get tired. “You know what? This isn’t going to work.” Morro placed the fake sword back into his statue. He stepped behind it and grabbed “ _Necromancy for the Wickedly Inclined”_ and flipped to the page he had doggy-earred. “I had a lot of time to read this cover-to-cover.” Morro handed Cole the book with the page he had opened to. 

Cole glanced at the book. It was the spell to banish him back to the Departed Realm. There were a lot of ingredients that Cole had never even heard of, and all the instructions seemed to flurry together, causing Cole’s stomach to churn. He hated magic so much. “You mean, you want to get sent back?”

“Of course I fucking don’t,” Morro replied, his voice cracking. “But do you think this is honestly going to get any better? I sit around here all day doing nothing, and then you come during the night and yell at me until what? Until you get your ‘inner peace’ garbage? You think I can give that to you! Or are you going to yell at me until I inevitably start to fade away? Because we all know how you felt when you were in that position. At least in the Departed Realm, I’ll keep existing...” 

The ghost appeared to be on the verge of tears, if he could cry. Cole thought that this must have been an act. He didn’t think he was ever able to cry as a ghost. He wondered if it was possible to be disintegrated by your own tears. Would they burn as they fell down your cheeks, or would you just instantly vanish before you even realized you were crying? Morro regained composure and chuckled. “FSM, you know that I would give anything to be in your shoes right now.”

Cole’s mind immediately jumped to possession. He couldn’t do that again, no matter how good it would feel to not have to exist for just one minute. He also couldn’t bear to do another ritual. FSM, he was not cut out for that. There had to be another way. Why did this all have to be so convoluted? Cole thought for what seemed like eternity. He hadn’t formed a plan like this all by himself since, hell, before he found out Lloyd would be the green ninja. Cole inhaled and exhaled, finally ready to say what was on his mind. “What if I don’t yell at you? What if we talk… mutually?”

“What do you mean?” Morro asked. “Like, have a conversation?”

“Exactly!” Cole continued. “You seem to want to be in my shoes, and part of me, for some reason, wants to be in yours. Maybe you can help me realize why it’s so great to be living, and I can help you make peace with yourself once and for all.”

Morro stared at him, seemingly shocked that Cole would bring something up like this. “You… really think you can do that?” While it was spoken in Morro’s typical condescending snarky tone, there seemed to be a sliver of hope in there. A sliver Cole had found in himself once upon a time. A sliver that Cole desperately wanted to cling onto.

“I think I can try,” Cole said. “I mean, I can’t say I’m an expert at this sort of thing but FSM, I **know** we’re both desperate.” 

This statement caused both of them to chuckle. “Alright.” Morro said. “So, how should we start?”

* * *

_Cole decided to get groceries. Lloyd said he was going to be working on a letter to Wu in his room, and the rest of the ninja were going to be training. Cole didn’t want to train. Honestly, he didn’t really feel like going to the store either, but it was the least he could do; especially since the ninja made him promise that he wouldn’t be on cooking duty during the duration of Wu’s trip. And maybe find something tolerable to snack on while he was at it._

_Cole felt like he should be stress eating at a time like this. Not that stress eating was a coping mechanism he was proud of, but it was at least in character for him. Food just didn’t taste the same to him right now._

_And he couldn’t say he felt as stressed as he used to. Like, he was angry with anticipation of whatever shit Morro would try to pull tonight, but there was something preventing him from reaching the level of panic he’d typically. Like a storm cloud of static in his brain. The cloud was enveloping everything, and it felt heavy, unlike your typical cloud. It was weird and not in the cool way._

_After picking up the ingredients for Zane’s chicken cordon bleu and whatever Kai was planning on making with Komodo Dragon peppers (does Kai even like those?), Cole decided to grab himself a cookbook. “Kitchen Training For Dummies”. It was never too late to learn, even if learning resulted in more burnt pasta._

_He made his way to the checkout, grabbing a bag of gummy snakes on the way over. As he was unpacking the cart onto the conveyor belt he noticed a kid in front of him with only two items. They had their hood up and wore a blue patchy sweatshirt that looked oddly familiar, but Cole couldn’t put his finger on why. Cole noticed that as the cashier was ringing them up, the kid was digging through their pockets. Their body language seemed to show that they forgot something at home. Like their wallet._

_Cole walked up to the front of the line and gave his card to the cashier. “I’ll cover their stuff too,” He said._

_“Thanks.” The kid said shyly, as if they wanted to be somewhere else._

_“No problem, buddy.” Cole responded. He turned around to look them in the eyes. They were a grey-ish green with these bright red flecks: so distinct, he could remember them anywhere. “Lloyd?”_

_Lloyd turned away, grabbed his stuff, and walked out the door. Cole needed to ask him what was up. Why was he here? Why didn’t he want anyone to know?_

_The cashier finished bagging Cole’s items and rang him up. After Cole paid, he ran out, grocery bags in hand._

_“Lloyd!” He yelled. “Lloyd, wait up.”_

_Lloyd slowed down, knowing that he couldn’t get away. “You didn’t have to yell my name back there.”_

_Cole had finally caught up. “Sorry, you just surprised me. Why are you here? I thought you were writing to Wu.”_

_Lloyd sighed. “Well, I wasn’t. I just didn’t want anyone to know where I was. They’d get worried”_

_“We’d get worried about you going to the store?”_

_“It’s not just that.” Lloyd said. He opened the plastic bag revealing a box of hair bleach and a small bottle of concealer._

_Cole didn’t really understand. What was so bad about Lloyd wanting to bleach his (albeit already blonde) hair or wear makeup. “No one’s bothered by you wearing makeup. Kai practically lives in winged eyeliner.”_

_Lloyd sighed again. Clearly he didn’t want to have to lay it all out for Cole. Lloyd pulled aside his hair as if he was going to put it up in a ponytail, which it was almost long enough for. Underneath, more hair was growing in. Except, it wasn’t blonde like normal. “My hair is growing dark and I keep getting dark circles under my eyes. It’s really weird and it’s not going away.”_

_Cole couldn’t help but jump to a crazy conclusion, but that’s not what Lloyd needed to hear right now. He needed to be comforted. “I’m sure it’s not that bad… I mean… your dad had brown hair, so maybe it’s just puberty.”_

_“Yeah. Puberty that started after you-know-what.” Lloyd said. Apparently Lloyd had the same idea as Cole. “Besides, puberty doesn’t give you dark circles.”_

_“Oh Lloyd,” Cole said, sadly._

_“It’s alright. It’s not like you can do anything about it,” Lloyd continued. “Besides he’s gone now, I think.” Cole’s mind was racked with guilt. Morro could just decide he was bored again and take over Lloyd’s mind once again. Cole needed to prevent that. “But you can see why I don’t want it brought up. I already get reminded of it every time I look in the mirror.”_

_“I’m so so sorry.” Cole wrapped Lloyd into a tight hug._

_“Thanks,” Lloyd replied, beginning to smile. “And I’m not mad at you about the other day. I’d be upset about that whole thing, too. It’s not like you’re going to resurrect him or anything.”_

_Crap. Cole didn’t want to let on that he did exactly that. “Hahaha. Yeah, that would be crazy.” That seemed convincing enough. “If you need help paying for any of this stuff in the future, I’ve got your back.”_

_Lloyd looked back up at Cole. “Thank you so much!” Thankfully, he didn’t seem suspicious. “Oh, and don’t tell Jay I stole his sweatshirt.”_

_Cole laughed. “I won’t. Don’t you worry.”_

* * *

“Alright,” Cole started. He had to think of something to start this conversation with one of Ninjago’s worst villains that he had, for some reason, summoned and made a deal with to carry out friendly interactions. You know: just another day in Ninjago. He recalled the earlier conversation with Lloyd. “So… did you… uh... um… change Lloyd’s physical appearance in any way?”

Morro looked at him like he was an idiot. “You literally fought me every other day, you’re going to have to be specific.”

“No, not that…” Cole said, rubbing his temples. Morro sure gave him a headache. “I mean permanently.”

Morro thought for a second. “I mean, I didn’t **try** to. I just didn’t want to look like a blonde idiot that’s all. But if I did, wouldn’t that be cool. The revenge that keeps on giving. I’ll remember that for next time.”

Cole stared bullets into Morro. “There won’t **be** a next time.”

“It’s just a joke, relax,” Morro continued. “Aren’t you supposed to be the funny one?”

“That’s Jay: short, pale, redheaded, freckles, master of lightning, y’know?”

“Ah, okay.” Morro said. “Sorry for calling you funny, geez. I now see you are clearly the hot head.”

“That’s Kai.”

“Of course. You’re the girl, right.” Morro smirked.

“No! Now you’re just stalling.”

“Okay, I’ll continue my explanation, smart one.”

“That’s Zane.”

“Do you want me to talk or not.”

“Continue.” Cole sighed. “But I’m clearly the strong one.”

Morro looked him up and down. “Eh,” he said, before continuing, “For the record, I didn’t want him to look like me, like after this possession thing was over. Because I’m too good for that.” Cole glared at him again. “I mean, I’m the only one who could pull off _this_ ” He gestured to his own torn outfit and lack of suitable pants. “Any changes that came about after I left aren’t my fault. It must have been a result of me possessing him for too long.”

“So… it is your fault.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Morro admitted. “But it wasn’t intentional, if that eases your mind.”

To be honest, it kind of did. Despite Morro’s shitty jokes and arrogance, he didn’t try to permanently change Lloyd’s appearance. I mean, he still did change it, but it was a start.

“I mean, the kid’s hair is growing in black, and he started wearing concealer to cover up these undereye circles he’s getting. Doesn’t that bother you?” Cole asked.

“Hmmm.” Morro thought for a couple minutes. “I guess I could be a little upset. I mean, I don’t like looking dead, and I am dead. Plus Lloyd not only stole the title of green ninja from me, but now he has to steal my look. Like come on! Pick your struggle.”

Cole smiled. “So you’re sorry.”

“Fine.” Morro sighed. “I’m sorry… for making Lloyd kind of look like me

“Okay, progress.” Cole said. “Three cheers for emotional growth.”

“This is stupid.”

“I know. You deserve to be humbled.” Cole smiled. “Hip hip!”

“Hooray…” Morro mumbled.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Hooray.” Morro said, only slightly louder.

“I still can’t hear you.” Cole was loving this more than he’d like to admit.

“HOORAY! THERE. ARE YOU HAPPY?”

“Yes. But keep it down. It’s the middle of the night.”

“You literally just--”

“It’s just a joke, relax,” Cole continued. “I guess I can be the funny one.”

“Your material could use some work,” Morro started, “but I’ll admit, that wasn’t the least funny thing I’ve ever heard.”

“See! What did I tell you?” Cole chuckled. Maybe this new deal wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. He checked the clock on the wall. 4:57. It was almost morning already. “Oh. I guess it’s almost time for me to go. I promised the security guard that I’d ‘investigate’ tonight, but since I know it was you… what do I say?”

Morro thought for a bit. Then he snapped his fingers, “Got it! Just say you caught some villain fanboy snooping around in this section, and you knocked some sense into ‘em. They gave back the sword, agreed to leave, and everything worked out.”

“Wow,” Cole said. “That actually makes sense.”

“What can I say?” Morro responded, his arms crossed. “I’m good at lying on the spot… I mean… to other people, I’ve been fairly honest to you.”

“Uh huh. Yeah.”

“I’m serious!” Morro said, rolling his eyes. “Oh! You should also add that you’re going to keep watch every night ‘just in case’.”

“Good idea.” Cole said. “Well, guess I can head out!” Morro held out his hand as if expecting something. Cole shook it.

“What was that?”

“What?”

“Why are you shaking my hand?”

Cole looks back down and pulls his hand away after shaking Morro’s hand for an awkwardly long time. “Is that not what you wanted me to do?”

“What? No!” Morro said. “I’m waiting for the book. You know… the one you promised to give me so I don’t get bored…”

“Ohhhh. Yeah, I’ll get that.” Cole dug through his backpack to reach for the book he had grabbed. Shit. It wasn’t the book he meant to give him. Cole took out “Kitchen Training for Dummies” and handed it to Morro slowly.

Morro grabbed it and looked at the cover. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Cole shrugged. “I don’t know… read it? There should be some interesting… recipes in there...” Morro looked at him confusedly. “I guess I should have looked at what I was grabbing before I put it in the bag.”

“I didn’t know you could cook?”

“Oh believe me, I can’t.” Cole’s face gave a look that he thought clearly conveyed ‘yikes’ “One time, I put a pizza in the oven on a plastic cutting board. And that’s why I got the book.”

Both of them chuckled. Morro gave “Necromancy for the Wickedly Inclined” back to Cole. “Another thing I’m better than you ninja at. Maybe I’ll have to show you how it’s done sometime.”

“Maybe,” Cole replied. He put the spell book back into his bag. He thought that this would be much more work than it actually turned out being. It was almost… pleasant… like talking to an acquaintance or something. Not that he would want to get too acquainted with this ghost, however. There are lines that just shouldn’t be crossed.

“Tomorrow?” Morro asked as Cole walked out of the door.

“Tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the late update! I got caught up with online school and music related activities that I lost track of time lol. My plan is to finish this story, no matter how long it takes. Not to self advertise or anything but my ninjago tumblr blog is @mcrro & i rb a lot (and occasionally post) on there. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Stay safe! :-)


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